The Other Side Of The Mirror
by ShadowtotheLight
Summary: Damon is completely beside himself after loosing Elena. With no way to bring her back, or so he thought, he has decided to pass time with helping Alaric bring Jo back. Little did he know he wouldn't only be helping his old pal Ric, he would be helping himself as well. Will Stefan, Bonnie and Caroline help them succeed or is this to good to be true? They are all about to find out.
1. Chapter 1

Well I've had this idea for a while now and I really hope you guys like it! This is my first vampire diaries fanfiction and I am so nervous to write it! This takes place a few weeks after season six and if you have not seen season six then you need to at least know what happened in the last episode, and if you plan on watching it then please don't read this. Major spoiler alert! I haven't seen season seven and until it comes out on Netflix I probably won't be watching it. With that being said almost nothing that happens in this story will be related to season seven, I may use a few things. I really hope you love this story and reviews are loved and appreciated!

I do not own Vampire Diaries just the plot.

Here is chapter one!

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Damon sat at the bar inside the grill, drink in one hand, cell phone in the other. His piercing blue eyes were trained on the picture of Elena on the front screen of his phone. He traced her features with his eyes and frowned, all he wanted to do was see her smile, feel her in his arms, smell her hair. Was that too much to ask? He guessed it was simply because that bastard Kai and taken her away from him, he had stolen their time together, taken their plans and forced her into a box to sleep for the next sixty some years and that's assuming Bonnie becomes a feeble old woman who passes away early. He didn't really know how he was going to get through these next decades. If he was the Damon he was before loving Elena he would have probably run off on some violet tangent and murder his way to France in an attempt to dull the ache. Damon sighed and rested his head on the bar. Why was he so miserable? Even the thought of killing didn't perk up his spirts.

After killing Kai to save Bonnie, something every bone in his body as well as his heart had screamed for him not to do, he had made sure Bonnie was safe. He took her to Caroline's per her request and made a feeble attempt to console the two best friends, which had no effect on neither them nor him. Caroline, who had learned the situation from Stefan had hugged him sadly, thanked him for saving Bonnie and asked him if he was okay, a question he didn't have an answer to at the time. He had just shook his head and said his goodbyes to the two friends and trudged home. As soon as he closed the door behind him he ran into the living room where her casket was resting, Stefan had already placed her sleeping body inside it and he found out later that Caroline was the one who dressed her. He had fell to the floor and sobbed, agonizing cries had left his mouth and he found himself sitting there for hours reliving memories of him and Elena until Stefan had drug himself home as well and sat down in the floor beside his heart broken brother when he found him.

"I miss her too." Stefan had told him while throwing an arm around his shoulders in a small effort to let Damon know he wasn't alone in this. "We all miss her Damon. You're not alone in this."

Damon had looked at him and nodded, he appreciated his brother's consoling efforts but it wouldn't work, nothing would work until he had her, his Elena back in his arms. No one really understood his pain. Sure Caroline and Bonnie had lost their friend, Jeremey had lost his sister and Stefan had lost his best friend. Their pain was real of course but it didn't run as deep as Damon's did. The pain was almost too much and he had to restrain himself not to just flip the switch, but if he did there was no telling if he would be able to turn it back on when she woke up and he couldn't do that to her. Killing Kai hadn't even brought a bit of relief or satisfaction and because of this Damon knew he was in for a long time of heart. How could he even live or be happy without her? He would never even think about loving another woman so that was out of the question.

His whole world lay in a casket in the family mausoleum, where Bonnie had sealed her after their goodbyes, and Damon just wanted to run in and shake her awake and kiss her until his lips were numb but he knew that wouldn't work. True loves kiss couldn't break the spell because he had kissed her before she was sealed away. God he miss her to damn much.

A hand landed on Damon's shoulder and Alaric sat down beside him. "Hey drinking buddy." He said with a weak smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Hey." Damon muttered, watching Ric order his usual and down almost half the glass in one gulp. Ric had been through a lot of pain at the hands of Kai as well. The maniac had killed Jo and their twins without a second glance. He had also hurt multiple people in their shrinking group of friends. The whole Gemini coven was dead as well as Liv, who Tyler was falling in love with. Tyler had skipped town after the whole thing went down, there was nothing keeping him here after all so Damon hadn't blamed him one bit. He didn't blame Jeremy either, who was off killing vampires somewhere. No one had heard from him since he left. Caroline and Bonnie had become inseparable, and were both continuing with college. Damon knew that they were the only two holding each other together after losing Elena. In all honesty Stefan was the only thing holding Damon together and barely.

"I see you're not doing anything better than drinking yourself to death." Alaric commented, on his second glass which was almost gone. Damon examined him and sighed. The history teacher had dark bags under his eyes and the stubble on his chin probably hadn't seen a razor since the wedding gone wrong. He was wearing jeans and a plain button up shirt. He looked tired and Damon briefly wondered if he looked as bad.

"I wish I could drink myself to death." Damon said, with a slight smile. "But sadly the whole vampire, immortal thing does not allow that."

Alaric nodded, Damon was the only one who he could relate his pain with. Sure, everyone had lost someone in the events a few weeks ago but Damon had lost the love of his life too and that sort of pain was different than everyone else's, it was deeper somehow, and Alaric wasn't strong enough to take it. So he had a plan to get Jo back. "At least you can turn it off when you want to. I don't have that luxury."

Damon shook his head and sat his glass down on the table. "It's not that easy Ric. I couldn't do that to her. It wouldn't be fair for her to wake up to some emotionless vampire who probably left Mystic Falls forty years ago."

Ric nodded, gaze fixated straight forward and Damon knew he was up to something. He hadn't come out of his apartment in the past two weeks and suddenly he's up for drinking like old times? Damon was just waiting for him to ask for his help like he always does.

"I'm glad you can take the pain of losing Elena but I don't plan on dealing with loosing Jo." Alaric said without so much of a crack in his voice.

Damon's interest peeks at these words and he turned to face Ric, one elegant eyebrow raised. "And how do you plan on avoiding the inevitable here Ric?"

Alaric smirked and laughed slightly, this laugh didn't sound happy one bit. It was more of a laugh that one did before they did something they shouldn't do. "I plan on bringing Jo back. "

Damon choked slightly on the bourbon in his mouth before staring at Alaric with a disbelieving look on his face. "Bring Jo back from the dead? How the hell do you plan on doing that Ric? You need some serious magic or something for that. Just what is your plan?"

Bring Jo back from the dead. Was he crazy? They would need a witch or some form of serious magic, a spell, and to know where the hell Jo even was because the other side had been destroyed a long time ago. Was there another supernatural purgatory that he didn't know about?

Alaric pulled a piece of paper out of his coat pocket and slid it over to Damon who unfolded it and scanned it over. "Turns out Jo knew Kai would most likely make an attempt on her life so she left these for me to find in our photo album if she ended up dead. She explained in the letter that she didn't want to chance canceling the wedding because she didn't know for sure that he would make an attempt."

Damon nodded. Jo always was one to plan ahead. It's like she always had a back-up plan or a way around some scenario she had made up in her head. "What are these Ric?" Damon questioned while reading some random things out loud. "Stone of emerald? Is this what will bring her back?"

"Those are the instructions she left me to bring her back. She said she wasn't ready to die and if I chose to bring her back this is how I could do it. Only her spirt is gone, her body is still physically here." He said taking the note from Damon and pointing to the letter and reading aloud. "If I know my brother he won't just simply allow me to die Alaric. He'll trap my spirt somewhere he believes I'll never be found, and I have a good idea as to where…" Alaric trailed off and looked at Damon. "I can bring her back Damon. Will you help me?"

Damon contemplated for a few moments before nodding. What could it hurt? Just because he couldn't be happy didn't mean Alaric didn't deserve to. "We don't have to kill anyone right? And no one will be hurt during this craziness right?"

Alaric shook his head. "No! Jo made it perfectly clear that we wouldn't need to hurt anyone or get hurt ourselves. She also left the location for anything we'll need."

"How do you know this isn't Kai pulling some trick on us Ric? It's almost too good to be true to think she left us specific and perfect directions on how to get her back." Damon commented, his life as a vampire had taught him that nothing is ever easy to do.

"I know this is her because she told me she missed me and the twins, Avery and Annabelle. We never told anyone the names we had for the twins. She also wrote down some random little things only she would know. Damon she knew I would be skeptical." Alaric said, reassuring his friend.

Damon nodded. He had nothing better to do so why not? "Sure buddy. I'll help you. Where to first?"

Alaric beamed, the first real smile touching his face in weeks. "To Bonnie."

The two men paid their tab and left the bar. On to the next adventure.

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Well here is chapter one! Trust me it gets better and chapter two will be uploaded at the same time so please continue reading and review! Thank you so much!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two! I really hope everyone likes this story! So the plot will really get going in this chapter. Anyway without further ado here is the second chapter. I do not own Vampire Diaries and I praise the minds behind it! Enjoy!

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"You want me to what? Activate a mirror?"

Damon and Alaric had drove to Whitmore and found Bonnie talking to a handsome boy which of course Damon had to interrupt much to Bonnie's aggravation. The two men had all but forced the young witch to come sit with them at a small café to talk over the part of the plan they needed her help with which was most of it.

Bonnie had read over the instructions Jo had left as well as the small note Jo had written just because she knew Bonnie would be just as skeptical as everyone else after thing they had gone through. Damon had traced her face while she read. She had her short brown hair straightened and was wearing a simple sun dress. Damon would never admit it but he was glad he had her here if he couldn't have Elena. Yeah that sounded better in his head.

"Bonnie I know it sounds completely crazy but all you have to do is activate the mirror. Jo said her spirt will be able to see it from where she's trapped and then we can talk to her and see her." Alaric said trying to make Bonnie understand what his late wife, or almost wife had said.

Bonnie shook her head and kept her eyes on the paper. "Alaric you're telling me that Jo believes Kai trapped her inside a small prison world? Said prison world can be accessed through a mirror they kept in her grandmother's house in Portland?" She asked, trying to wrap her head around all this crazy information.

Ric leaned back and nodded, crossing his arms. "I believed it was crazy too when I first read it and I admit I really did not think it was actually Jo. But the more I read it the more it sounded exactly like her and the hand writing is the same and I don't believe Kai would go through the trouble of learning about where Jo and I hid our extra soap bars."

Damon had to admit the more he read the letter himself the less he believed it was Kai. Why would Kai want to know what color Jo's favorite panties were? Bonnie seemed to be eliminating her doubts as well.

"Alaric we have to be careful with this. If this is Kai's plan there is no telling what he's trying to get us to do for him. Did Jo say anything else in this letter that sounds suspicious?" She asked Alaric, knowing he had read the letter over and over again.

Alaric shook his head and glanced at Damon. "No she didn't. Just like I told Damon she wrote about the twins names. We only named them the night before the wedding. There would have been no time for Kai to find out before he killed her. She had to write the letter the next morning. I'm just sure about it Bonnie."

"I don't think Kai had time to formulate a back-up plan if you think about it. He was too busy with the heretics and he had no idea that I was going to kill him." Damon commented. Speaking of the heretics, he needed to find some way to deal with them.

Bonnie nodded and leaned back, a hand playing with a small piece of her hair. "Just don't let your pain and grief blind you in this situation. We can't afford to go through something else at the hands of Kai. We've already lost too much." She said looking at the paper again and pointing out the address. "Should we get going? The weekend is only two days."

The three exited the café and set out on their journey to Portland.

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The ride took forever and Damon had voiced his opinion on if they should have gathered the other necessary things before driving all the way to the house. Alaric had told him no because if Jo was somehow wrong and the mirror wasn't where she believed it was there would be no reason to go through the trouble. The three of them didn't believe Kai would have moved the mirror because the crazy psycho path most likely believed no one would think of it. Damon believed at first that it was just too good to be true but when he read the part of the letter explaining how Kai had seen their dad do it the idea seemed a little more feasible. Plus what could it hurt? He had nothing better to do and at the first sign of trouble they had all promised to ditch the plan.

Stefan and Caroline were being left out of the plan so far because the two really had no place in the plan. Plus they were two busy exploring their new relationship with each other to care about much else. Damon thought it was extremely funny that his brother had decided to chase the blonde. She didn't really seem like Stefan's type, but hey, as long as he's happy Damon didn't really care.

When they arrived at the address there quite literally was nothing there but an open space. A chuckle escaped Damon's throat and both Bonnie and Alaric gave him a sarcastic look.

"What? We know this isn't going to be easy at all." Damon said, looking around. They used Bonnie's magic teddy bear to bring the shield down before. He hoped the real Bonnie could bring it down this time.

"Is this what happened before with you two?" Bonnie asked, referring to the previous episode with magic shields and houses.

"Yep! I had the pleasure of meeting Jo's lovely father then and let's be honest he is not the best father-in-law." Damon said, earning an elbow from Bonnie.

"Must you always be sarcastic?" Bonnie said while taking a few steps forward. She raised her hand in front over her and started chanting while walking forward.

"What if this isn't even-" Damon didn't finish his sentence before there was zipping sound and a house appeared in front of them.

"You were saying?" Alaric said and followed Bonnie up into the house.

Damon sighed. Why must he always have the pessimistic thoughts? Because his life has been one screw up after another that's why. He surveyed the house and found that it was actually extremely old. The grey paints was chipping off and the blue shudders were hanging from the hinges. He followed the other two into the house and found that the floor creaked under his weight.

"Jo says the mirror should be in the attic. " Alaric said beginning to walk up the old stairs.

"Be careful. If this has Kai's name on it there could be a trap." Bonnie warned and followed Ric up the stairs leaving Damon to bring up the rear. He had a weird giddy feeling. Like the feeling you get when it's your birthday and you're about to open your presents. Why? He didn't know. Maybe it's because they were about to bring yet another person back from the dead.

The attic door squeaked open when Ric pushed on it and the group slowly and cautiously made their way into the room. The smell of dirt and just the general smell of an old house hit Damon in the face and he found himself sneezing three or four times much to the amusement of the other two.

"Looks like big bad Damon can't handle some dust."

Damon glared at Bonnie and looked around. There were old belongings in here and damn absent mindedly ran his fingers across an antique hair brush. How could someone have all this junk? His eyes trailed off to the mirror in the corner of the room that Alaric and Bonnie were already standing in front of.

"Is this the mirror?" Damon asked looking around while pointing to the mirror in front of them. There were two mirrors in the room. The one on the middle of the room was a stand up oval mirror that looked extremely old. While the other was rectangular with a sheet draped over it enough that only one small portion on the bottom corner showing.

Alaric smiled and touched his finger tips to the mirror in front of him. "She said it was the oval shaped one and this is the only oval shape one I see." He said looking around, eyes briefly looking at the other mirror against the wall.

"There's probably someone else trapped in that one." Damon said with a small laugh.

Bonnie shook her head and grabbed the paper from Alaric's hands. "So all I need to do is say these words out loud and it will activate the mirror portal and we'll be able to see and talk with her?" She asked, looking at Alaric for reassurance.

Alaric nodded. "Yes that's what she said. Trust me I read and reread these instructions so many times." He bent down and pulled a white candle out of his bag and placed it on the floor in front of Bonnie and the mirror.

Damon found a small chair and sat down in it. Why was he here again? Oh yeah. He promised he would help Alaric bring his wife back from the dead. Damon guessed that Ric didn't really need his help and simply just wanted the moral support just in case something went wrong, and the vampire back up power in case someone decided to attack him. His thoughts went to Elena for a moment and he had to shake his head to rid the thoughts of her. He didn't want to be the miserable Damon right now. He trained his eyes back on Ric and Bonnie.

Bonnie bent down and lit the candle before standing up and placing her hand on the mirror. She looked at the instructions one more time and then handed the paper back to Ric so she could put her other hand on the mirror as well. Damon watched as she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before saying the spell.

"Ouvrez la fenêtre, attendons de voir l'autre côté. Ouvrez la fenêtre, attendons de voir l'autre côté."

Bonnie said the spell until the mirror began glowing a bright golden color and Damon found himself standing up to stand beside Alaric and Bonnie who had backed away. Here comes the truth.

The mirror glowed bright enough that the three standing in the room covered their eyes until the light died down and when they looked up all three of them were shocked. Standing there in the mirror was Jo. She smiled at them, looking the same way she did when she died and Damon even smiled brightly.

Alaric rushed forward and placed a hand on the mirror. "Jo….is it really you?" He asked, tears blurring his eyes.

Jo brought her hand up to rest at the same place Alaric's was. "Yes Ric it is."

Damon smiled and waved at her to catch her attention. "How did you know Kai would do this?" He asked, still extremely skeptical even when Jo was right in the mirror where she said she would.

"I see you're still cautious Damon. I knew Kai would do this because he always told me that he wouldn't let me be happy in death. He wanted me to endure a fate worse than death." Jo explained. "And this was the first thing that came to mind simply because Kai and I had watched our father do it many times. Each mirror has its own world in it. "She stepped back and allowed them to look past her into what seemed to be a bedroom. "It seems Kai chose to stick me in our apartment Alaric." She finished explaining and laughed slightly.

Alaric nodded. "You're completely by yourself?" He asked.

Jo nodded. "Yes. The mirror worlds aren't like normal prison worlds and most of them only consist of a house or building that the person can see out of but can't leave."

"So you can't go outside either?" Bonnie asked, briefly shivering at the thought of her times in the prison world. "That sounds horrible."

Jo nodded. "I can't change my clothes either so I'm stuck in this bloody dress."

Alaric gasped. "What about the twins?" Had Kai succeeded in killing his children?

Jo smiled and laid a hand on her stomach. "They're still in here." She said looking at her stomach for a few moments before looking back up. "I am so glad I thought to leave you those notes Ric. There would be no way to raise them in here which I believe was part of Kai's plan as well to torture me further."

Damon shivered at the thought of Jo watching her children die slowly in some mirror prison world. He was completely convinced that this was Jo simply because of the way she spoke and the way she looked at Alaric with such love in her eyes. Although he was tired of being in this old smelly house. "Can we bring you back with us?"

Jo nodded. "Of course. But please be careful. If this mirror is shattered there really is no other way to get me out of here."

Damon smiled and clapped his hands together. "Well let's go!" He said turning to leave the room.

"Damon?"

Damon's breath left him and his whole body froze. No…..He didn't just hear her angelic voice. He spun around and glared at the other three. "Who said that?"

Bonnie and Alaric looked just as surprised. They both shook their heads and Jo looked completely confused. That's right she didn't know the situation with Elena.

"Damon we didn't say anything." Bonnie said, taking a small step forward.

"Bonnie? Okay….I'm officially going crazy."

Damon was ready for the voice this time and his eyes immediately trained on the other mirror in the room. He walked over to it slowly and gripped the sheet. Was he going crazy? He didn't really hear her name. He was about to kill his spirts all over again.

He ripped the sheet off and his whole body went still. Standing there in the mirror was the girl who was meant to be asleep. Was this real?

"Elena?"

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I hope you liked it! Please review! Chapter three should be up by the end of the week.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I am so sorry it took so long to update! I got so busy with school but I'm here now! Please enjoy! I do not own Vampire Diaries.

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"Damon?" Elena's eyes widened and tears filled them. "Is that really you?" She asked, placing a hand on the mirror in front of her. Bonnie and Alaric stepped forward to look at the girl in the other mirror and both smiled brightly.

Damon felt like his throat was closing as he rushed forward to place a hand over hers. She was in the dress she wore to the wedding and it looked as if she hadn't been gone for the past month. She was just as beautiful as the vision Damon gave her when he said goodbye. Was this real? Is Elena really in the mirror prison world like Jo? "Elena. Where are you?"

Elena shook her head as tears ran down her face. "I…I don't know Damon. I woke up a while ago on the floor of my old house and no one was around. I can't go outside and I've been so lonely. This mirror is the mirror in my room. I was on the bed until I heard you guys talking. There was just a dark image until you pulled the sheet off."

Damon turned to Jo. "Is it possible Kai did the same thing to Elena as he did you?"

Jo looked surprised and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Bonnie spoke up. "Kai put a spell on Elena at the wedding too. He made it so she would be asleep until I died. He said if we tried to break the spell both me and her would die."

Jo's eyes widened. "Well it is possible. If she didn't wake up when Kai was killed then I can almost bet he stuck her in a prison world. Any other spell would have broken with his death. Is her body still where it was before?"

Damon shrugged. "No one has been near the casket since it was spelled shut in the Salvatore family tomb."

"Well I would say it is the case then. These spells are meant to take affect after the person's family have buried them that way the body will not be missed when the person wakes up in the prison world." Jo explained.

Bonnie and Damon looked between each other and Elena. "But what about the whole me and Elena both dying thing?" Bonnie asked.

"It could have been a way for Kai to ensure no one would catch onto his plan until it was too late." Alaric said, moving forward so Elena could see him.

Elena smiled and waved. "Guys is there a way to get us out of here?" She asked, catching onto the fact that both her and Jo were in the same situation.

Damon smiled and nodded. "Yes. We're going to free both you and Jo with the stone of Emerald." He said looking at Jo. "Right?"

Jo nodded. "It should work."

Elena smiled brightly at the thought of being reunited with her loved ones. "I missed you guys so much."

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"Where is she? Where is the damn mirror?"

Damon rolled his eyes as a certain blonde vampire came storming into his house. They had brought both Jo and Elena's mirrors back to the boarding house and placed them in a room Bonnie had spelled to only let certain people in. The ride back was long and awkward as everyone let it sink in that two very special people were about to be brought back into their lives.

Caroline stormed up the stairs as Bonnie followed. "I still can't believe you guys haven't told Stefan yet! He deserves to know!"

Damon shook his head and downed the rest of his blood before walking up the stairs after the two girls. Elena and Caroline were greeting each other by the time he got to them.

"Elena I missed you so much!"

Elena laughed slightly and smiled. "Well I'm not fully back yet Care."

Caroline shook her head. "I don't care! I can see you and talk to you! That's better than you being completely gone." The blonde spun around and looked at Alaric, Bonnie and Damon. "So how are we getting them out again?"

"We have to fine the Stone of Emerald and some other stuff and Bonnie is going to cast a spell and pull them out." Damon explained, leaned against the door.

Caroline nodded. "And how do you guys know this will work? Didn't Kai say if we tried to wake up Elena both her and Bonnie would die?"

"She's not asleep Carolina. So we technically aren't waking her up." Bonnie said from her spot on the bed.

"Plus I've seen my father do this many times before." Jo added. She had pulled a chair up to the mirror and was sitting in front of it. Elena had pulled the mirror over to her bed and was laid across it talking to her friends.

Caroline nodded and sat down beside Bonnie. "I just don't want to risk anything."

Bonnie threw an arm around her best friend. "We know Care. None of us want to."

"So Damon and I leave tomorrow to go find all the stuff for the spell. Someone needs to be here at all times to guard these mirrors. They're the only things connecting us to Elena and Jo." Alaric said, a serious look on his face. He wanted to get this done as soon as possible. He wanted his family back, Elena included who had become like a daughter to him.

Bonnie nodded. "I think Caroline and I can take a few weeks off from school and stay here." She said, Caroline nodded in agreement.

"Stefan can stay around to." Damon said moving to stand in front of Elena's mirror. He smiled brightly at her.

"Stefan can go what?"

Everyone turned to the door where Stefan stood, a questioning look on his face. He noticed the two mirrors and moved farther into the room. Jo waved at him slightly when she saw him looking at her mirror. His eyes slowly fell on Elena's mirror and his heart dropped. "What's going on?" He asked, giving Damon a harsh look.

Stefan crossed his arms and listened as Bonnie, Damon and Alaric took turned explaining the situation and everything that had happened up to this point. Stefan couldn't allow himself to get happy about this because there was so much that could go wrong. He had found himself loving Elena so much more in her absence and he couldn't have her back now that she was with Damon. On the other hand he was starting to fall for Caroline. He was so overwhelmed right now.

"I told them they should have told you by now!" Caroline spoke up. She looked at her boyfriend with a sad expression. She knew he was feeling betrayed right now but what could she do? She only just found out herself.

"How do you guys even know this is going to work?" Stefan asked. He wasn't even worried about being in the dark.

Alaric took a step forward. "Jo has seen it done many times. We're sure it will work."

Stefan nodded. "And what about Kai's warning about both Elena and Bonnie dying?" He asked, still not completely convinced.

"She's already awake brother. We're not waking her up and plus Jo said it isn't some sleeping link spell because it didn't break when Kai died." Damon said clapping his brother on the back.

Stefan sighed. This was a shot in the dark but what could he do? "Okay. What do I need to do?"

"We need you to stay here with Caroline and Bonnie to make sure these mirrors aren't taken or broken. They're the only things connecting us to the prison worlds." Damon explained, placing a hand on the mirror where Elena's hand rested. He couldn't wait to hold her again.

Stefan nodded. "Are you sure you don't need my help looking for this stuff? We have no idea where any of it is or if there is anyone else looking for it that would put up a fight."

Damon shook his head. "I think we got it. Whatever happens though, Lily and the heretics can't find out about this! There's no telling what the hell they would do. The door stays shut at all times."

Everyone nodded in agreement. "My spell hides the door from anyone's eyes so make sure you remember where the door handle is in comparison to the hall table." Bonnie explained.

"I'm so glad I decided to read that book when I did." Alaric said with a laugh.

"I knew you would." Jo responded, a spark of love in her eye.

"Well it's settled. We're getting Elena and Jo back." Caroline said with a smile.

Everyone returned the smile except for Stefan. He still wasn't sure about this. There is always something that goes wrong.

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I hope you guys liked the Chapter! I promise it won't take so long to update again! Please Review!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

I know it's been a while since I updated and I'm so sorry! The last few weeks of a college semester is crazy and I just started a new job! But I hope you like this chapter!

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Damon sighed. The map they were looking over gave them nothing to go on and was so worn that it was barely readable. Jo had helped them find the map by casting a spell that showered her where it was and then explained the location to Stefan who had made the trip alone, insisting that he needed the time to think this plan over alone. The rest of them understood his doubts just because they were too scared to voice their own doubts in case Damon went crazy on them.

Their main concern right now was finding out where the stone was, how well it was guarded and who was guarding it. Damon, Stefan, and Alaric were planning on leaving the next day to make the journey to get the stone if they ever found out where it was. Bonnie, Tyler and Carline were strictly on guard duty while the three men were gone and by the time they were back with the stone Bonnie should have the spell learned. If everything goes according to plan they should have Jo and Elena back within four days.

"Have you made any progress?"

Damon and Stephen turned to see Alaric walking into the room. He was freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt.

Damon shook his head and poured the three of them a glass of scotch. "No we haven't. The map is so worn away that it's barely readable." He said, handing the glasses out.

Stefan leaned against the arm of the sofa. "It's almost like it was made to look that way with magic. There is no dirt or evidence of wear and tear. Plus it was in a box when I found it."

Alaric leaned over the table and ran his fingers over the map. "It's still thick too. If it was worn the fabric would be thinned out."

"Exactly." Damon said, finishing his glass and sitting it down. They had found out that the stone was guarded by the Emerald clan, a witch clan that was strictly passive. The clan did not believe in fighting, instead they made extra effort to make sure the things they were guarding were extremely booby-trapped with spells. Jo had helped them figure out the clan's booby trap spells and the order, and Bonnie made potions and explained to them how to get out of whatever the spells threw at them. It was a tricky situation but Damon had to have faith or he would allow himself to fail and that wasn't an option when it came to Elena.

"Damon? Did you hear me?"

Damon's head snapped up, he hadn't realized he checked out of the conversation. "What did you say?"

"I said, we were right, the map was spelled but look." Stefan said, holding the map up in front of the fireplace. "Natural light is the key to showing the map."

Damon bent down and looked at the paper. It was perfectly readable in the firelight and he allowed himself to smile. "Very smart brother."

"It still doesn't let us know where they are. " Alaric said, disappointment showing in his voice. The map was a bunch of lines with numbers everywhere.

Damon and Stefan looked at each other. The two stood up and wordlessly and found a map of the United States before drawing lines across it. Damon put a finger on the place where they all overlapped. "The stone is in Washington, North Carolina."

Alaric raised an eyebrow. "And how did you get that from that unreadable map?" He asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"Map reading was a big part of Damon's time in the army. He taught me when he returned home." Stefan explained, looking at his prideful brother. The two had become much closer in the last year than they had in their entire lives.

Alaric smirked and allowed himself a chuckle. "So we leave in the morning?" Damon and Stefan nodded at their human friend.

Stefan suddenly remembered something Jo had told them and he sighed. "There's something we need to do." Alaric and Damon looked at him with questioning glances. "We need to make sure their bodies are gone. I know we need to have faith that this is going to work but we have to be careful, there is just too many things that can go wrong and our track record with plans isn't exactly spotless."

Damon and Alaric agreed with the young vampire. They both had their doubts but speaking them would be a mistake on both their ends.

* * *

That night Damon went to where they were keeping Elena's casket while Alaric and Stefan made their way to where Jo had been buried.

Damon kept looking behind him to be completely sure he wasn't being followed. Lily and the heretics finding out their plan was the worst possible thing that could happen right now. When he finally reached the family mausoleum he whispered the words to open the door and walked in. He frowned at the casket in from of him. What if she was still laying in there? If it wasn't Elena didn't that mean it wasn't Jo either? His chest felt tight and he almost couldn't find the strength he needed to open the lid.

"Here goes nothing." He whispered before he slung the lid up and peered down into the casket. Relief washed over him and he let the lid fall short. Elena's body was gone.

* * *

The next morning Damon, Stefan and Alaric got there things together, said goodbye to everyone and made their way to the spot on the map that the emerald coven was said to be holing the stone.

"Are we sure we want to do this?'" Stefan asked, eyeing the cave they were about to enter.

Damon and Alaric looked at the vampire with expressions that read, 'what kind of question is that?' and Stefan found himself laughing slightly. "What? You two are the ones trying to get your girlfriends back."

"Wife." Alaric corrected.

"Brother don't even act like you don't want Elena back too." Damon said, observing the way Stefan's eyes down casted. Stefan missed Elena just as much as everyone else, he just didn't want to show it and Damon almost wanted to let him know it was okay but he wasn't sure how to.

"Okay so I find the stone while you two take care of whoever or whatever we run into." Alaric said, loading his bow with an arrow just to be safe.

"And hope we have a chance against this. Yes." Damon said.

The three walked towards the cave slowly and stopped at the entrance for a few seconds before continuing, flashlights ready.

"Okay. Bonnie said there would be a moving, hazy spot close to the ground where a spell began." Stefan said, scanning the ground.

"Like that?" Damon and Stefan looked to where Alaric was pointing and observed the hazy spot in the air close to the ground.

Damon shook his head. That Bonnie Bennett was one bad witch. He picked up a stick and threw it past the spot. A wall of fire spouted and the two vampires looked at each other. "I'm guessing we're first on their list of people to keep away from the stone."

Alaric laughed. "Is that really a surprise?" The two brother's shook their heads. "Which potion is marked one?"

Damon pulled a small bottle out of his bag and threw it isn't the fire. They watched as the fire evaporated like it had never been there. "Well we know that works."

The three moved slowly through the cave. They had to combat acid, a tidal wave and a giant snake. Alaric had finally managed to get an arrow through its heart and it fell to the ground and reduce to dust.

Damon leaned against the cave wall. "The things I do for love."

Alaric smirked. "I know how you feel."

"Hey, I found the stone."

Damon and Alaric turned to see Stefan had disappeared farther into the cave. They looked at each other and ran forward to stop beside the younger of the vampire brothers.

The stone was sitting on top of a stone pillar, a faint green glow touched the walls and made the small room an eerie green color.

"Well go get it." Damon said, pushing Alaric forward.

"I somehow don't believe it's going to be that easy." Stefan said.

"You would be right." A woman stepped out of the shadows and smirked at the men. She had long grey hair, and was wearing black robes. She had a young face, pale skin, high cheek bones and glowing green eyes. Her body was covered in black markings.

"And who are you?" Damon asked, glancing at the other two men.

"I am Esmeralda, the guardian of the stone and bringer of your death."

* * *

Thank you for reading! I know this chapter isn't very action packed but I originally had it as one whole chapter but on second thought I saw that it was really too long, So the next chapter will be up tomorrow! Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello again! So I am currently very upset because my boyfriend ruined season 7 for me. I prefer to wait and watch it all at once but he has been watching it weekly and he threw a major spoiler at me! Anyway I am so sorry about not updating like I should! After this chapter I will probably wait and update when I am completely done with the story to make up for my poor updating. That way you guys can read it all at once. I really hope you like this story! Please review!

Julie Plec is an amazing woman and I do not own TVD.

* * *

 **Chapter Five!**

Damon looked at his brother and best friend with a raised eyebrow. "Sooo did Bonnie say anything about 'a guardian of the stone?' No?"

Alaric shook his head slowly. "They obviously didn't know."

Stefan shook his head. Was he the only one who realized this wasn't going to be this easy? Their track record with plans wasn't exactly spotless. He glanced over at Damon and Alaric with a questioning look on his face. "What do we do now?"

The woman took a few steps toward them and Damon threw a hand up. "Hold up. Why are you coming towards us? We haven't moved at all."

Esmeralda chuckled at him and stopped in front of the stone. Her glowing eyes trained on Damon. "I see your heart is not very pure. You have made many horrible decisions at the cost of others. How do you live with that?"

"I try not to think about it if I'm honest." Damon answered. His curiosity grew slightly. Why hasn't she tried to kill them yet?

"And you. You are very worried about the future. Is it something you always worry about?" She asked looking at Stefan.

Stefan nodded. "Yes."

Esmeralda nodded, clamping her hands together in front of her she looked at Alaric. "You have a great deal of heartache in you. What happened to cause you so much pain?"

Alaric glanced at Damon and Stefan as if to ask if he should tell her. They both nodded and he sighed. "I lost my wife and two unborn children."

Esmeralda frowned. "Why?"

"A man named Kai killed them." Alaric answered.

Esmeralda gasped. A hand flew to her heart and she rushed towards him. Her eyes went from glowing green holes in her head to bright blue irises. "Did you say Kai? Kai Parker?"

Alaric nodded. "Yes. He killed them."

"I'm so sorry…." Esmeralda took Alaric's hand in hers and looked at him with sympathy on her face. "He is such an evil person. I only wish he was dead."

"He is." Damon said, looked at the woman. He was so confused that his head hurt. Wasn't this woman supposed to kill them? Why is she suddenly upset about Kai? "Did you know him?"

Esmeralda took her hands away from Alaric's and trained her attention on Damon. "I was in love with him in my younger years. I thought he was someone I could spend the rest of my life with. That is until I found out he was stealing power from me. He wanted to use my power to help him overpower his sister in the merging ceremony. I of course made sure he could not do that. I helped the Gemini coven seal him away in the prison world. I found out later he was the reason all his siblings died, he was also the reason our daughter went missing." She looked down, tears threatened to fall. "I have never held so much hatred towards one person. Jo was my best friend."

Alaric frowned. "Jo….Jo was my wife."

Esmeralda's head shot up "No. He did not."

Alaric nodded. "She was pregnant with twins when she was killed."

The witch sunk to sit on a rock and looked at Alaric. "I am so sorry. I never thought he would become this evil. Killed his own sister?"

Damon sighed. He figured he could at least tell her about Elena as well. Maybe she would let them have the stone. "He's also the reason why I lost my girlfriend."

Esmeralda looked up at him. "How?"

"He linked her with her best friend. As long as her best friend is alive, she sleeps. Or at least that's what we thought. We found out just a little while ago that he sent her and Jo to mirror prison worlds." Damon explained. Stefan and Alaric looked at him.

Esmeralda was quiet for a moment before she laid a hand on the emerald stone. "You need the stone to bring them back from the prison worlds am I correct?"

"Yes." Alaric said hoping she would be willing to help them. She had a connection with Jo, and seemed very upset.

Esmeralda stood up and crossed the space between her and Alaric. She held out a hand to him and he looked at her with a questioning look. "Give me your hand please?" Alaric slowly gave her his hand and watched as she grasped it in both of her hands.

The markings on her hands began glowing green wither eyes. Her grey hair blew in an invisible wind. She pulled her hands away after a few moments and moved over to Damon where she did the same, and then to Stefan. When she was done the glowing stopped and she smiled at them.

"You were all truthful, and have pure intentions." She turned to the stone and lifted it up before crossing the room and placing it in Alaric's coat pocket. "I trust you will keep it safe." She zipped the pocket and looked up at Alaric. "I hope you are able to bring Jo back."

She looked at Damon. "I hope you are able to bring Elena back as well."

"How did you….?" Damon stuttered, wide eyed.

The witch laughed slightly. "I looked into your heart. Your love for her is very strong and pure." She turned to Stefan. "I see that you have loved her as well. She must be a very special girl."

Damon and Stefan looked at each other and smiled slightly at the memories of Elena that flooded their hearts. "She is."

Esmeralda smiled. "There is one thing I must ask of you before you go."

"Anything." Stefan said, feeling a great deal of gratitude towards the witch.

"I need you to kill me."

Their eyes widened, and their jaws dropped. "What? Why?"

Esmeralda brought a knife out from behind her back and handed it to Stefan. "My coven has to have a good reason as to why the stone was taken out of this cave. I must be dead when the check up on me in the morning if the stone is gone."

"But won't they read your mind or something to find out you gave it to us?" Damon asked, looking at the other two men. Stefan and Alaric nodded in agreement to his thinking.

The witch shook her head. "No. You don't have to worry about that. I can alter my memories to people who are viewing them. No one will ever know you have taken it. But I will return to get it back in the near future."

"How? You'll be dead?"

Esmeralda chuckled. She could see Damon was the one who always voiced the concerns of the group. "I never truly die. I will only remain dead until the next full moon."

Stefan took a step forward. "Are you sure?"

Esmeralda nodded and closed the distance between herself and Stefan. "Yes. Now hurry. You must free Elena and Jo."

Stefan smiled at the witch. "Thank you so much."

Alaric and Damon stood behind her now. "Yes. Thank you so much."

"Do not thank me." She said, looking at Damon with sincere eyes. "THank you for killing Kai. There is less evil in the world with him gone." She turned to Alaric and smiled. "I haven't been able to bring very much joy in my long lifetime. I hope everything goes well for you." She looked at Alaric and smiled. "Tell Jo I said hello." She then turned back to Stefan and nodded. "I'm ready."

Stefan nodded and took a hold of Esmeralda's shoulder before he plunged the knife into her heart. Her body marking glowed green before the life drained out of her. Damon and Alaric eased her body down to the ground.

Alaric sighed. "I didn't want to kill her."

Damon nodded in agreement. "Neither did I."

Stefan laid the knife on the ground beside the lifeless body before he stood back up. "C'mon, let's get back."

The three men left the dark cave. Esmeralda's lifeless body laid there alone and Stefan was looking forward to seeing the woman again. She seemed to understand his pain and deserved a proper thank you.

* * *

Well there's chapter 5! I hope you guys liked it. There will be no more chapter updates until the end of this week when I am completely finished with this story. I only have two or three more chapters to write and I will be so happy with this story. I am not trying to rush by no means I just have a few more stories I want to publish and I can only keep up two at a time with how crazy school, work and life is. So I should have this story wrapped up, fully published and completed by Sunday. Thank you guys! Please review.


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